Rothacker Reviews

Beyond Trend

Beyond Trend by Matt Mattus

Beyond Trend is laced with a passion for design.  It is sooooo inspiring!  Like little kids grow up and want to be police and firemen, after reading Matt's book (three times now), I want to be a designer!  If I were involved in an association for designers, I'd make Beyond Trend required reading for members.  If I owned a company that used designers and caught them reading Beyond Trend, I'd promote them.  Okay, that last one's a stretch.  But their value in my eyes sure would increase.

The business world today is paying attention to the wink of design leaders.  "Pssst guys!  Get on board.  Good design will capture your customer's heart and soul."  Whether you have companies that truly get the benefits of design or companies led by CEO's who have a vague idea of what design is: "Bob, I think there is something to this design thing.  Create a design department.  Stick it between the mailroom and accounting."...the field is opening wide up.  While more people are filling creative roles, the creative work-output is growing exponentially and growing exponentially vanilla.  An overabundance of design and an overabundance of sameness.  Matt:

...it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell a Target TV ad from a Sears ad.

Moving beyond trend is Matt's answer to his own question: "In an over-designed world, how does a designer design?"  How one gets there is what this book is all about.

Basically, Matt's book is written to and for designers, those in the trenches trying to crank out new and creative work.  But he sneaks in a chapter devoted to their bosses.  It is pure gold.  In very clear and concise terms, Matt delineates between the two styles of companies I reference above. 

There is one really strong theme that courses through Matt's work.  It is the foundation and framework for moving beyond trend.  It begins with a passion for design.  And it ends with the ability to explain your output.  What informed us?  Why did it?  And where did this influence come from?  Matt asks:

How can you problem solve, or create "new," or "get it" (and help others "get it") if you never did in the first place?

The ability of a designer to move beyond trend is directly related to the work that they put in between the passion part and the explanation part.  Matt guides the student of design here with a carefully created map on how to get there and how to become a culture creator at the same time.

Matt designed this book himself and infuses brilliant pictures, illustration and art to help tell his story. 

I smoked-n-signed Beyond Trend.  It is one of the best books I've ever read!

"Jeepers dave, that's a pretty strong statement!"

You know why I feel so strongly about this book?  Because I think it's not only a recipe for designers to elevate their game above status-quo, but it will also help other creatives like artists and writers!!

David Ogilvy on Advertising

Do you own a small business?  Have you figured out how to make it successful?  Did a person, Web site, seminar, book or course help you?  Did your brother-in-law help you?  Chances are you didn't have the luxury of striking it rich in one brilliant move.  You had to build your business through hard work, grit, determination and the ability to filter every Tom, Dick and Harry's opinion as to how you should run your business.  You did say your brother-in-law's name is Dick, didn't you?

Perhaps today you might consider the opinion of David, an advertising man.  He helped a few companies sell their products and become successful.  You might be familiar with some of them; Campbell Soup Company, Rolls Royce, General Foods, Shell, IBM, Merrill Lynch, etc.  In the world of advertising, David Ogilvy was an icon.  David passed away in 1999, but his legend lives on along with his words.  You need to pick up his book Ogilvy on Advertising. It isn't a textbook, it is a conversation.  I've read the book twice now and I feel as if David and I are sitting in a cherry wood paneled library in two big plush leather chairs looking out over a snow-filled meadow while a fire roars in the fireplace.  He talks to me about advertising and selling products while knocking the residual tobacco from his pipe.

"Wait a minute Dave, the companies that David worked with are all really big companies.  Mine isn't."

Ok, let me guess.  Your brother-in-law knows a printer.  He got you a good deal on printing out a flier.  You mailed a few out.  Or you recently bought Advertising for Dummies.  You are trying to follow it step by step.  Or you know that you should be advertising, so you ask Joe who owns the pool cleaning company.  Joe tells you.  But you're not sure if he understands the difference between pool filters and pepperoni pizza.  Or you listen blindly to the girl who sells ad space for the Neighborhood Newspaper cause you'd like to date her.  By the way, just how much business are you getting out of that ad?

The point is your advertising isn't working.  You either have to do it yourself or hire a company that works with small businesses. Ultimately you should hire the company.  Either way, David will guide you through the process.  But there is a catch.  This book isn't for every small business owner.  It is only for those with an open enough mind to carry on a conversation with a dead ad guy...albeit a charming and wise dead ad guy.  You see, David isn't only going to enlighten you about advertising, if you're open enough, he'll help you build the very core of your business.

"Dave, I ran over to Amazon and ordered up a copy.  It came yesterday.  Dude, this book is written for advertising people."

Well, yes it is.  Here, take this can of WD-40 and shoot a couple drops on the hinges of your mind.  Now, shake each leg a bit and straighten out your underwear.  Good.  Listen up.  Yes David's book was targeted for the field of advertising.  Published in 1983, he writes about getting a job in the business, running an agency, how to advertise for foreign travel and how to make TV commercials.  He also writes about how to produce advertising that sells, direct mail, how to get clients, research, competing with Proctor and Gamble, and six legends who went before him in the industry.  It is mostly in the last group where the treasure for small business owners can be found.  But you will only hear David's sage bits of wisdom if you pretend he is trying to help you run your business.

I know, I know, you're too busy trying to run your business to play pretend.  But if you made it this far here today, try this out...

You hire someone local to do your advertising.  It could be the girl who sells ad space for the neighborhood paper or someone who will design your ad or an agency geared for small business.  Now, listen to what David has to say about his internal operation:

"I never assign a product to a writer unless I know that he is personally interested in it."

As an Advertising Director, he never assigns a product to a writer unless he knows that the writer is personally interested in the product.  Now here's where you have to pretend.  David to you:

"Carol, does Bob the guy who is writing copy for your print advertisement, know anything about you or your products?  Matter of fact, does he use your products?"

See what I mean?

Ok, click on the link here, buy a copy of Ogilvy on Advertising and get ready to help market your business!

Trends: Trendwatching

Do you have unopened e-mail newsletters in your inbox?

"Well, errrr, yeah dave, I do."

And those are the ones that you allow into your inbox, aren't they?

"Yeah man, I just don't have time to read them.  But you know, I do pick one or two off every so often."

Do you use Google's GMail?

"daaaaave, I see where you're going with this...."

I let approximately ten e-mail newsletters through my front gate each week and a half dozen more per month.  I read one.  I need to prune two or three from this list. For the balance though, I lean on Google's search capability in my GMail account. 

"dave, that sounds good on paper dude, but how often do you really bring up old e-mail newsletters?"

Not often.  But let me tell you about how a person at a company that sends these newsletters broke through the din of white noise marketing and helped me out.  Michell Zappa, a trend analyst at Trendwatching.com, sent me an e-mail.  Her company noticed that I hadn't opened up their Trend Briefing monthly newsletter for quite a while.  Her concern was two-fold.  One, perhaps my junk mail folder was scarfing up the briefings and I wasn't getting any, and two, perhaps I really didn't want to receive them anymore.  In that case I could opt out and they wouldn't bother me anymore.

Now, of course Michell didn't personally send me this e-mail.  But the thought and gesture pegged out the dave "that's different" meter.  It was so Amazonian.  It meant enough for me to reply back and thank them for their concern.  Janna van Hasselt, from client services did personally reply back to me and thanked me for my note.

Guess what.  A few days later I opened the latest briefing and read it.  Man am I  glad that I did!  If you appreciate knowing what makes consumers do what they do, the pulse of business today, the various economy-related cultures and design (because their briefing is of most excellent design), then sign up for a Trend Briefing of your own today!

Tampa: Marketing Solutions

One more day at work for the MAN is one more day too many!  It's time to take your education and work experiences and put them to work - for You, Inc.  It's time to start your own business.

You hook up with your lawyer and accountant buddies.  They give you some good advice.  You launch.  You startup.  It's official.  It really is now You, Inc.  Cool!

The first day you hang out your shingle.  Boy did that feel good!  You get busy doing your thing.  It sure does feel good!  But then a stark reality begins to set in.  How am I going to get customers to my door?  You drive up and down Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and and a second cold, stark reality sets in.  There are four other businesses just like yours!  Yipes!  What do you do??

You call Jason and Jennelle.  That's what you do.  Right now. Jason Wilson and Jennelle Diaz Sherman own Full Circle Marketing Solutions.  Jason and Jennelle are two of the most passionate people I've ever met.  Their desire to help business owners just like you is off the charts. 

What I really like about these guys is that they're not going to storm into your business and tell you what to do.  No, they are going to sit down and talk with you.  They are going to learn what you and your business is all about.  They will ask questions.  You will sense their concern.  And you will feel their energy.  And you will begin to envision customers lining up at your door.  You will.  But they won't, if you don't contact them.  Contact them today!

 

 

Wake Up Your Mind

Wake Up Your Mind by Alex Osborn.

Alex was born in 1888, and published this book in 1952.  Wake Up Your Mind is about developing and using creativity.  A major premise throughout, is that the mind is like a muscle, it must be exercised to develop.  Although Alex wrote this book in the early to mid 1900's, he seared relevance in for a lifetime.

Wake Up Your Mind consists of twenty-six chapters with titles like:

• Soft Environments Saps Creativity
• Education - Its Appalling Neglect
• Little Children Can Spur Our Minds
• Reading - How to Go At It Creatively
• Hobbies - Which Ones Benefit Imagination?
• Writing is Mental Wrestling At Its Best
• Problem Solving - Creativity At It Best
• Job Hunting Calls for Idea Hunting

Alex was an ad man*, a businessman, but he writes for Mr. and Mrs. Joe Everybody.  Alex must cite a million people in his book, and that fact alone is a lesson.  To amass that much information one needs to be out and about in the world exploring, observing, learning and collecting grist for the mind's imagination wheel.

As you read through this book you'll encounter hundreds of road signs.  Today's creative gurus and consultants once read these signs...you can see them in their present-day work.

Wake Up Your Mind is available as a used book through Amazon's Sellers...which makes it value personified.

*Alex was a co-founder of BBDO, an advertising firm of about 1,300 people.  It has grown a little since then.

Sway - Synopsis

Sway by Ori and Rom Brafman

A person pays over two-hundred dollars for an everyday, run of the mill twenty dollar bill.  Think about it.  Why?  Why would a person be swayed to do such an illogical thing? 

Do you think if you understood the reason why people do illogical and irrational things, you might be able to navigate the world a bit better?

Ori and Rom, authors of the Starfish and the Spider, help us to understand why people do irrational things.  Their method and content of writing is easy on the mind, as Sean Connery is easy on the eyes of a female.

Think Tipping Point.  Think Blink.  Think the Starfish and the Spider.  But don't think about buying Sway.  Just do it!

Sway was Smoked-n-Signed.

Small Business Advertising

Do you own a small business?  Have you encountered the key to making it successful?  Be that key a person, a book, a Web site, a seminar or your spouse's brother-in-law?  Chances are you haven't had the luxury of striking it rich with one brilliant move.  You've had to build your business through hard work, grit, determination and the ability to filter every Tom, Dick and Harry's opinion as to how you should run your business.  You did say your brother-in-law's name is Dick, didn't you?

Today perhaps you might consider the opinion of David, an advertising man.  He helped a few companies sell their products and become successful.  You might be familiar with some of them; Campbell Soup Company, Rolls Royce, General Foods, Shell, IBM, Merrill Lynch, etc.  In the world of advertising, David Ogilvy was an icon.  David passed away in 1999, but his legend lives on along with his words.  You need to pick up his book Ogilvy on Advertising.  It isn't a textbook, it is a conversation.  I've read the book twice now and I feel as if David and I are sitting in a cherry wood paneled library in two big plush leather chairs looking out over a snow-filled meadow while a fire roars in the fireplace.  He talks to me about advertising and selling products while knocking the residual tobacco from his pipe.

"Wait a minute Dave, the companies that David worked with are all really big companies.  Mine isn't."

Ok, let me guess.  Your brother-in-law knows a printer.  He got you a good deal on printing out a flier.  You mailed a few out.  Or you recently bought Advertising for Dummies.  You are trying to follow it step by step.  Or you know that you should be advertising, so you ask Joe who owns the pool cleaning company.  Joe tells you.  But you're not sure if he understands the difference between pool filters and pepperoni pizza.  Or you listen blindly to the girl who sells ad space for the Neighborhood News cause you'd like to date her.  By the way, just how much business are you getting out of that ad?

The point is your advertising isn't working.  You either have to do it yourself or hire a company that works with small business.  Ultimately you should hire the company.  Either way, David will guide you through the process.  But there is a catch.  This book isn't for every small business owner.  It is only for those with an open enough mind to carry on a conversation with a dead ad guy...albeit a charming and wise dead ad guy.  You see, David isn't only going to enlighten you about advertising, if you're open enough, he'll help you build the very core of your business.

"Dave, I ran over to Amazon and ordered up a copy.  It came yesterday.  Dude, this book is written for advertising people."

Well, yes it is.  Here, grab this can of WD-40 and shoot a couple drops on the hinges of your mind.  Now, shake each leg a bit and straighten out your underwear.  Good.  Listen up.  Yes David's book was targeted for the field of advertising.  Published in 1983, he writes about getting a job in the business, running an agency, how to advertise for foreign travel and how to make TV commercials.  He also writes about how to produce advertising that sells, direct mail, how to get clients, research, competing with Proctor and Gamble, and six legends who went before him in the industry.  It is mostly in the last group where the treasure for small business owners can be found.  But you will only hear David's sage bits of wisdom if you pretend he is trying to help you run your business.

I know, I know, you're too busy trying to run your business to play pretend.  But if you made it this far into my article here, try this out...

You hire someone local to do your advertising.  It could be the girl who sells ad space for the neighborhood paper or someone who will design your ad or an agency geared for small business.  Now, listen to what David has to say about his internal operation:

I never assign a product to a writer unless I know that he is personally interested in it.

As an Advertising Director, he never assigns a product to a writer unless he knows that the writer is personally interested in the product.  Now here's where you have to pretend.  David to you:

Carol, does Bob the guy who is writing copy for your print advertisement, know anything about you or your products?  Matter of fact, does he use your products?

See what I mean?

One last suggestion.  Pick up a copy of David's book from the new and used section of Amazon.  You'll save a few bucks.

Design: Do You Love Your City?

Ben lived in a rather small city of 15,000 people.  He spoke of it as wonderfully designed.  He liked the large streets that made up a perfect grid.  Ben cared about where he lived.  So when the unpaved streets became muddy and wreaked havoc on the merchants, he worked to get the community involved and the streets paved.  But dried mud on the paved streets was also a problem.  So Ben created and distributed a pamphlet that stated the advantages of hiring a street sweeper.  A few days later when he canvassed the neighborhoods, Ben discovered unanimous support.

About this time the townspeople wanted to light their city.  Ben took note of John Clifton's house.  John simply kept a lit lamp outside of his front door at night.  Ben and John purchased a few lamps from overseas.  Ben noticed a flaw in the oil lamp's design.  There were no provisions to draw air from the bottom which would prevent a buildup of smoke and soot.  Ben redesigned the lamp to allow air to move freely through the lamp. 

Wisdom quickly became a byproduct of Ben's life.  He used the street paving and lamp stories to tell folks about happiness and attention to small matters.  He said that dust (or soot) blown into the eyes of a single person or merchant was not much of a problem.  But when dust was blown into the eyes of an entire city, it could shut down the city.  A simple plan to sweep the streets or a small design change to the lamps were examples of paying attention to seemingly small matters.  Ben said human happiness is not so much a result of lucky events that rarely come our way.  Rather, happiness is more often a result of the little advantages that accumulate every day.

He went on to say that if you want to make the world a better place, do something as basic as teaching a poor young man how to shave himself and keep his razor in good shape.  In doing this, you may contribute more to his happiness in life than by giving him a lump sum of money.  He said, money easily gained is often foolishly spent and latter regretted, but a good skill pays dividends for a lifetime.

A few small incidents from Ben's life here demonstrate a remarkable ability to market, to be creative, to design, to pursue happiness and to teach. 

Ben was a pretty smart guy and yes, Benjamin Franklin loved Philadelphia, his city.  Do you love yours?

This story of Benjamin Franklin can be found in Benjamin Franklin by Blaine McCormick.

That's Different: Nikon Picture Town

Picture your back yard butting up to a busy freeway.  You become used to the drone of traffic.  It just beats on...and on...and on.  You live with it, and to you, it's not even there.  Until it isn't.  Now that freeway has your attention.

And so it is with advertisers.  We live with them, and to us, they're not even there.  Until they are. Like Nikon.  Nikon captured my attention.

This is old news.  Nikon actually ran this initiative back in the latter part of spring.  But I was reading Rolling Stone yesterday and came upon a Nikon ad.  In it, a woman in a yellow dress and a Nikon camera around her neck, is holding a large picture of a little boy holding a puppy.  Here is how this ad registers on dave's notice-an-ad-meter. 

Nikon D40.  Camera give-away.  Blue collar, American woman.  Real.  Spectacular smile.  Community.  Man Nikon!

Nikon gave two-hundred D40 camera's to folks from Georgetown, South Carolina.  Here is their story.  Matter of fact, you'll see the girl in the yellow dress when you follow this link. 

Giving stuff away for promotional benefit is not a new thing.  Oprah gave away a bunch of cars.  But cars don't foster community.  Cars don't cause people to interact.  Those folks drove their cars away, in different directions.  The citizens of Georgetown however, are a community.  A community running around taking pictures of everything and everybody.  How can that not be good?

Note to dave in the future:  Nikon connected with my human side.  (dave, is there any other?)  They made something real to me.  Maybe because, for a moment, I didn't perceive them as a company.  I perceived humans trying to connect with other humans, while promoting their product.  This is a good thing dave.  Hope companies are still doing this in 2027!

Arbys: Can We Advertise Your Product, For Free?

As managers in retail stores, are we so busy with business that we don't have time to help ourselves grow?  Listen to this brief story from daughter #1, Vickie:

Barb and I first set out to create the Arby’s floating logo ourselves. Bought some materials to do it and everything. The last stop of our shopping adventure was Arby’s itself. We figured we’d grab lunch and ask them for a clean cup and clean bag to complete the outfit. So we asked for the manager and explained what we were doing. He laughed and said that he thought he had an “Arby’s hat” and to wait a min while he checked. We both looked at each other and said “we don’t want a hat, we want it to look like its floating – like in the commercial”.

 Well the guy comes out with a headband and the floating logo…which was perfect and exactly what we were going to create ourselves! We got so excited, until he told us he only had one! So we went home and I called about 7 other Arby’s stores and no one had just one to spare! Decided to try and contact corporate directly and explain what we were doing (I mean hello – walking billboard right?)…they did end up dropping one in the mail to me, but it didn’t come until yesterday.

Figuring it wouldn’t get to me in time, I took my dilemma to the girls at work and wouldn’t ya know…Jenny had one! It was a promotion that Arby’s did awhile back, and although she had never worn hers, she kept it for some reason…

Once we had the floating logos, the rest of the outfit was a piece of cake! Barb took care of the lab coats and gloves and we fashioned the Arby’s bag around our purses!

Lets see, I'm an Arby's store manager and two mid-twenty-something professional women want to wear my company's logo around in public.  "I think I'll blow them off.  It gets a little busy here around lunch and dinner.  Who needs the craziness?" 

"Now David, that's a little harsh."

Perhaps.  But what if one of these managers worked a little bit to accommodate the girls?  Maybe they could have asked them to stop back wearing the logos.  Maybe they could have taken a few pictures and used them for publicity.  Maybe they could have given the girls a few coupons for redemption at their store only.  Maybe they could have gotten some press in the neighborhood news.

This is not about bashing Arbys.  Instead, if you are a manager, a manager of any kind, ask yourself why is your company in business.  Maybe at sometime during the course of a day, you can pick your head up and devote a couple of minutes to that "why."

11/4/07 Update - Not sure why, (I'm thinking Arby's?) but we ran up to the Arbys in New Tampa last night.  So I'm sitting in the drive through trying to place an order with Rosemary, Carla, her friend and the Arby's order taker all talking at the same time.  To further set the stage, Carla knows exactly what she wants, is impatient and is starving.  Her friend can't decide and is verbalizing her dilemma out loud.  And Rosemary, Rosemary approaches a food menu as if her decision depends on whether or not it will start WWIII.

It took about ten minutes to place the order.  The odds of it turning out correct were so minute that I contemplated pulling the car out of line and going inside.  We waited by the window for another ten minutes, the order was incorrect and we eventually had to go inside.

I wish I knew the answer to what it takes for young adults to work successfully in a fast food outlet.  Rosemary believes that the kid helping us last night got fired (or quit) on the spot.  Of course there are two sides to the story.  Ultimately though, it's a management thing.  If the young adult can work in your program, teach and be a support for him.  If he can't, tell him, send him on his way and wish him much success in his future.

Yeah, I'm thinking Arby's. New Tampa, Wesley Chapel Arby's.  Best wishes management team!